The Wake Left Behind

     Leadership, that is quite a loaded word if you think about it long enough. What kind of leadership are we talking about here? Presidential, corporate, organizational, or religious? Should a leader look the same across all those spans of systems? Do we look for the same qualities in our presidential candidates as we do in our church leaders and CEOs?      I never really wanted to be a leader, it is something that people saw in me and challenged me to live up to.  But I have not been one who has wanted to climb to the top and put myself out there. Running for class president was never my ambition, in fact, if I could sink into the thick of a crowd I would be perfectly happy going unnoticed.  Yet over and over again I have been asked to lead. It used to shock me, but I think I have finally accepted this as a part of who I am. I think!      Even though it has taken me a long time to be comfortable in the skin of leadership, I do ...

     Remember the game of Tug of War that you played every summer at camp? The thrill of the game, the cheering of the crowd, the ache in your arms as you pull with all your might, and the rope burn on your hands as you either stand victorious or slump in defeat. Those were some fun days, especially since at the end of it all, it was just a silly game.      This past week my mind and heart have been in a game of tug of war, and I wish I could laugh it off  like a silly game. But deep down I know that this game in my life actually matters. It is the difference between living in freedom, embracing who I really am, or living in defeat-slumping my head in shame. Freedom or defeat, victory or shame-this battle actually matters.      Quite a few years ago a very wise woman taught me about the power that our thoughts have.  There are so many messages that run through our minds each and every day, many are pretty destructive, but they b...